BILL REVEALED: Fresh details on new Taxi and PHV Bill released ahead of next Parliamentary reading
Further details of the new Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Bill have been released ahead of its second Parliamentary reading on 10 September.
The new Bill proposes that all taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England share information of recent adverse licensing history. These include refusals, suspensions or revocations of a licence. It is hoped that forming nationwide data will mitigate the risk that unsuitable people are granted or hold a taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) driver licence.
According to Parliamentary Explanatory Notes, the Bill will set two main provisions. The first will require licensing authorities in England to input into a central database instances where the authority has suspended, revoked, refused to grant or refused to renew a taxi or PHV driver’s licence because of certain safeguarding or road safety concerns relating to that driver.
Other licensing authorities in England must then have regard to that information when considering whether to grant or renew a taxi or PHV driver’s licence.
The second set of provisions in the Bill requires licensing authorities in England to report certain serious safeguarding or road safety concerns about a taxi or PHV driver working in its area to the licensing authority in England, Wales or Scotland that granted a licence to that driver. The Bill then requires licensing authorities in England to take notice of any such reports received and consider whether the relevant taxi or PHV driver should remain licensed.
The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Bill was first presented by Peter Gibson, Conservative MP for Darlington.
Speaking exclusively to TaxiPoint in August, Peter Gibson MP said: “Earlier this year I was successfully drawn to introduce a Private Members’ Bill in the House of Commons. I have chosen to table the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Bill in the House of Commons.
“I was contacted by hundreds of third parties, all eager for me to work with them on their proposed Bill. However, it was clear to me that this Bill would have a considerable positive impact on the taxi and private hire vehicle industry and be beneficial to not only service users but also the wider industry.
“This Bill will ensure that the hard working and honest taxi and private hire vehicles drivers do not have their reputations tarnished by the small number that abuse their position of trust and do not respect their role as a professional driver.”
